Slavkov Castle (also known as Austerlitz Castle) is a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

palace in

Slavkov u Brna Slavkov u Brna (; historically known in German as Austerlitz) is a town in Vyškov District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,000 inhabitants. The town gave its name to the Battle of Austerlitz which took place seve ...

in the Czech Republic. The town and the castle are chiefly known for the Battle of Austerlitz.

History

A first castle at the site was erected by the Teutonic Knights in the early 13th century, then the seat of a commandry within their

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

bailiwick. In the early 16th century it passed to the Moravian noble house of Kaunitz who had it rebuilt in a Renaissance style. The present-day palace with 115 rooms was erected from 1696 onwards according to plans designed by the Italian architect

Domenico Martinelli Domenico Martinelli (November 30, 1650 – September 11, 1718) was an Italian architect who worked for Carlo Fontana during 1678. He was an evident figure in the shaping of Baroque style in the North Alps. In 2010 a musical tribute called "Projec ...

. The conversion was finished under Prince Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg more than fifty years later. Wenzel Anton hired the painter Joseph Pichler to apply

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es in the chapel and the ceremonial hall of the castle. The impressive garden in a French style modelled on the Gardens of Versailles was laid out in 1774. In the oval ceremonial hall (the "Historic Salon"), an armistice was signed between Austria and France after the Battle of Austerlitz on 6 December 1805. There is a small historic museum and a multimedia presentation about the battle.Wilkinson, Don (2009)
''Daytrips Prague and the Czech Republic: 57 One Day Adventures on Your Own and by Car''
Hastings House, p. 208.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Vyškov District Castles in the South Moravian Region Museums in the South Moravian Region Historic house museums in the Czech Republic National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic